It’s the last day of June and I’m standing under the overhang on my back deck protected from the last drips of a rainstorm. It’s past nine o’clock but not quite dark yet. But the yard is starting to light up, one or two flashes at a time. It’s lightning bug season. These flashing, ...
Something seems a little different with the weather we’ve been having here in Western New York. This spring has been a lot wetter than the previous springs I’ve experienced. Most people I talk about the weather with, or even just causally mention rain to, agree that this amount of rain is ...
The emphasis we as humans place on sight bleeds into how we describe our experiences with the natural world. We will often talk about what we see; whether it’s spotting the movement of wildlife or the colors in a field of flowers. We may use descriptors like colors and patterns or compare ...
Of all the flora and fauna in the region, snails are not one I think about very often. On hikes, they fall into the “just” category. Oh, it’s just a snail. Oh, it’s just a crow. Oh, it’s just a dandelion. They are so easy to overlook because they are commonplace. But there are ...
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been admiring the lush, vibrant green that’s taken over our landscape thanks to this wet spring — all while wishing the rain would give us a break so we can hit the trails! After a winter full of epic snow for skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, ...
Next time you are touring your garden, walking on wooded trails, or exploring a beachside scenery, look for immaculate swirling patterns. These can be found in the center of a sunflower, a snail’s shell, the base of an unopened pinecone, and seen as a fern just begins to unfurl its leaves. ...
